Day #235: A Lot of Maybes

As you may or may not know, my agent recently submitted my fourth picture book to fifteen different editors. After a couple weeks, one editor has fallen in love with it (hooray!) and at least three editors have said "thanks but no thanks."

But we've also received several in between responses. A couple definite maybes. What do I mean? Well, I used to think that if an editor liked your book then they would offer you a contract. Unfortunately, things aren't that simple in the world of publishing. The editor must LOVE the project, first and foremost, and then must decide if the book is the right fit. (Maybe there's something too similar... Or maybe the topic isn't marketable enough...)

If an editor loves it and believes the book is a good match for their house, then it usually goes to an editorial board -- sometimes it's passed along to marketing, publicity, lawyers, etc... And then finally it gets approved by the head honcho, using the companies publisher, vice president and/or president. 

It reminds me of this guy: